In the spring of 1980, during a swing through Norway, Sweden and Denmark, tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh ran into pianist Kenny Drew in Copenhagen. Drew had moved to Paris from the States in 1961 and to Copenhagen in '64. On April 21, Marsh and Drew performed on a Danish Radio broadcast with Bo Stief on bass and Aage Tanggaard on drums. Except for the title song, the tracks were a mix of stalwarts from the American Songbook and bebop standards: Marsh's I Got a Good One for You (based on It's You or No One), Sophisticated Lady, On Green Dolphin Street, Sippin' at Bells, Everytime We Say Goodbye, Little Willie Leaps, Easy to Love, Body and Soul, Ornithology, Star Eyes and Softly as in a Morning Sunrise.
Marsh had a soft spot for Charlie Parker and admired how the alto saxophonist could get to the point when he played. Drew, of course, played with Parker in 1950, when trumpeter Red Rodney was in the group. So a hefty helping of bop was ideal for this broadcast. As for the sidemen, Stief remains one of Denmark's most prominent jazz bassists and has played with Drew, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Ben Webster and many other artists. Drummer Tangaard has worked with pianist Duke Jordan, Stan Getz, Ernie Wilkins, Paul Bley, Lee Konitz and plenty of others. [Photo above of Kenny Drew]
In reading the liner notes, I had no idea Marsh was independently wealthy. His father had been a senior cameraman in Hollywood and had left money in trust for his children. As a result, Marsh had the luxury of play where and what he wanted without letting financial pressures dictate the jobs he took. [Photo of Warne Marsh by Frans Schellekens]
Marsh and Drew have an interesting symbiosis. Marsh's dry tone and inclination toward cool jazz is offset by the heat of Drew's bop chops. What's most interesting on this album is how little of Lennie Tristano's influence can be heard. Instead, the session feels more like a tribute to Bird.
The standout exception is Star Eyes, which Marsh plays as a slow ballad. His colorless tone is matched by Drew's near-homesick chords and solo lines. It's one of the finest version of the song.
Warne Marsh died in 1987; Kenny Drew died in 1993)
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Warne Marsh and Kenny Drew's I Got a Good One for You (Storyville) here.
You'll also find it at Spotify.
JazzWax clip: Here's Star Eyes...
from JazzWax https://ift.tt/2Jy65zH
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